Costly coding requirements have limited adoption of voice technology, but that is changing, says Steve Gerrard, vice president, marketing and strategy, Voxware. The technology is truly adaptive now, which is a key buying criterion.
Dr. Chaman L. Jain, professor of economics in the Tobin College of Business at St. John's University, talks about how the demand-planning function has changed in his decades of observing global supply chains.
Too many companies are still plagued by a "siloed" mentality which keeps various functions from collaborating fully on demand planning. But Arnold Mark Wells, principal of End-to-End Analytics, sees reason for hope.
Rizwan Asim, head of procurement and supply chain with SSC Al-Suwaidi Holding Co., discusses how integrated demand planning is helping Middle Eastern retailers to cope with a market boom.
Callaway Golf Co. relies on integrated demand planning to service a market that ranges from large and small retailers to buyers who have clubs customized to meet their unique requirements. Derek Hillier, director of strategic sales initiatives for the Americas region, explains how it's all done.
Knowing how to effectively manage fuel costs is an important skill for 3PL providers, particularly in the current environment of volatile and spiking oil prices, says Skip Wendel, global vice president for consumer and retail at UTi Worldwide.
With all of the advances in forecasting technology and software, it's tempting to conclude that people don't need to play a direct role in the process anymore. But the opposite is true, says Jonathon Karelse, vice president of corporate development and strategic planning with Wholesale Tire Distributors.
Strength is returning to the market for mid-sized warehouses, though vacancies remain high for facilities of 100,000 to 200,000 square feet, says Rob Wheeler, vice president for industrial services at Cresa Chicago. Cresa Chicago is a real estate firm that works only with tenants. With 55 offices in North America, it is "the biggest real estate firm you've never heard of," Wheeler says.
There are two major challenges that companies face today in forecasting, says Bob Leonard, vice president of sales with Forecast Pro. One is the push to drive down to more detail, including smaller time buckets. The other is the need to treat forecasting as an analytical task, instead of just clerical work.
